Having been introduced at the dawn of the computer age, monolithic system architecture was the staple of software development. Yet, what worked perfectly in the middle of the 20th century proves outdated nowadays. A dozen years ago, IT specialists came up with a microservices approach to back-end elements’ organization as a viable alternative to the classic monolith – and it disrupted the high-tech world.
Since then, organizations have started moving from monolith to microservices in their professional solutions steadily but surely, with 85% of enterprises (according to Statista) reporting the use of the newer architecture type in 2021. Evidently, these guys do know something to convert monolith to microservices en masse. If you still rely on old-school products in your shop floor operations, it is time to follow their suit and switch from monolith to microservices as a part of your digital transformation initiative.
But before we focus on the peculiarities of migrating monolith to microservices, let’s have a brief look at both software organization models.
Monolithic vs microservices architecture: Comparison
Monolith is a software development classic. This architecture contains a single-block unit with one code base and all functions served in one place. All the modules within it (typically, a database, a client-side UI, and a server-side component) are tightly coupled, which rules out any modifications to separate system elements. Although simple in development, deployment, and testing, monolithic solutions are notorious for their rigidity, code complexity, and incompatibility with novel technologies.
Microservices is all the monolith is not. The younger technology presents software architecture as a collection of separate modules that run each process as an independent service. Every unit has its own database, scope, and operational logic, and they are bound together via a network of APIs, which makes them similar to a combination of standalone software products. As a result, each containerized module can be independently built, deployed, revamped, and upgraded. Besides, such solutions are resistant to cascading faults and foolproof in bug detection.
What perks do software owners and users get by switching over from monolith to microservices?
Read a related article: Microservices vs monolith: Which architecture is better?
Advantages of monolith to microservices migration scrutinized
Companies that perform the transition from monolithic to microservices architecture of their enterprise digital infrastructure can enjoy the following boons.
- Business flexibility. The containerized nature of a microservice application or other solution allows for a quick and easy introduction of changes to the system. In the current highly aggressive business environment, it spells a significant competitive edge since you can add, remove, or upgrade certain features of the solution as your organization’s needs, marketing plans, or industry trends require.
- Scalability. You can scale any component of your solution up or down without affecting the functioning of other elements or the entire product. Such granular scalability lets you optimize resource consumption, reduce wastage, and avoid cost overhead.
- Resilience. As containers’ boundaries are hard to cross, the malfunction or code errors in a certain service can’t bring down the whole system. You can still use the fully functional modules while fixing the problems in the one where a failure is detected.
- Code transparency. The code base is simpler to understand and manage in smaller units with fewer dependencies. The IT personnel will have no problems in dealing with code if its modification is necessary.
- Easy testing and bug detection. Bugs and glitches can’t spread outside a module thanks to impenetrable container borders. That is why, once the QA team knows where to search for a problem, it will take them less time to get rid of it. Besides, troubleshooting and testing a microservices solution proceed quicker, with testers checking each unit piecemeal.
- Versatile tech stack. Unlike monoliths, which are limited to one programming language and technology across the system, microservices leave you free to choose any programming language, tool, or framework for each module to dovetail your technical and business goals.
- Freedom in selecting vendors. You can recruit different IT companies that excel in creating or replacing certain elements of a microservices solution, thus pooling the best-in-class talent to obtain a first-rate unit within the product.
- Greater productivity. Since each module is built, upscaled, tested, and deployed independently, and the coupling among units is loose, several development teams can work in parallel. If you split monolith into microservices, you will receive a finished product much faster, and its time to market will be minimal.
- Third-party integrations. Modern professional solutions seldom function as standalone products. They work in sync with other software – both internal (ERP, CRM, PIM, etc.) and external (social networks, various apps, payment systems, and more). By switching from monolithic to microservices architecture, your software gets access to such products due to a network of APIs, which boosts the efficiency of your IT infrastructure immensely.
- Embracing the cloud. Thanks to their cloud-native nature, microservices solutions can become a pivotal element of an enterprise’s cloud-first IT environment development strategy that will enhance the high-tech power of an organization.
- Expenditure optimization. One of the major monolithic to microservices challenges is the high cost of the procedure. But you can break monolith to microservices and then migrate module-by-module. This way, you don’t have to spend a huge sum on the transition simultaneously. Instead, you can move gradually and pay for the migration in installments.
As you see, the upsides of migrating from monolith to microservices are rather weighty. How should you go about it? As a seasoned IT vendor with multiple migration projects under our belt, DICEUS can share monolith to microservices best tips with you. The first step here is to opt for the proper migration strategy.
Choosing a monolithic to microservices migration strategy
There are five basic approaches to transition from monolith to microservices.
Incremental refactoring
This strategy involves the progressive decomposition of a monolith into microservices. Refactoring a monolith to microservices starts with pinpointing elements of the monolith (conventionally, some isolated capabilities) that are most suitable for becoming separate microservices. Then, you disable them and implement their transformation.
